Music-leaf turner.



A. W. ROBINSON.

MUSIC LEAP TURNER.

APPLIQATION FILED nmnzs, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Tu: mmms PETERS c0. wasumamgv, n. L.

A. W. ROBINSON.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIfiE.

ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, VERMONT.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. ROB1N- SON, of Springfield, in the county of indsor and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MusicLeaf Turners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to music racks and automatic means associated therewith for turning the leaves of sheets and pages bearing musical notation.

The object is to provide an apparatus adapted to be applied either to a stand or rack such as is used by orchestra players, or to a piano, and adapted to turn one leaf or a plurality of leaves singly in succession, as may be desired.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the invention as applied both to a music stand and to a device adapted to be set on the music rack of a piano.

Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating the application of the device to a music stand which is supported by a standard rising from the floor. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modification of the device, adapted to turn two or more sheets automatically. Fig. 1 is a detail view showing the escape device for the two or more leaf-turning frames, in side elevation. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention in an apparatus adapted to be set on the music rack of a piano and to be operated indifferently by either hand of the performer, and constructed to turn two or more leaves in succession. Fig. 6 is a central cross section of the device shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the manually-operated escape device for the automaticallyoperated leaf-turning frames. Fig. 8 is a sectional view, showing the detent by which the escape device is held yieldingly in a number of positions. Fig. 9 is a detail view of a friction clamp by which the members of the turning frame are connected together.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a music rack 1 of any common or ordinary construc tion is shown, such rack being collapsible as usual. It is supported by a standard 2 which has the usual. foot part (not shown) which stands upon the floor and has a telescopic part 3 controlled by a thumb-screw Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 26, 1909.

Patented A11 2, 1910.

Serial No. 504,426.

4L by which its height may be increased or diminished. At the center of the rack is fixed a rod 5 which is surrounded by a sleeve or tube 6, while between the sleeve and rod is contained a spring 7, preferably wound helically about the rod and attached thereto at one end, its other end being attached to the tube. This tube forms one member of a leaf-turning frame, the balance of which is formed by rods, or a continuous wire 8, preferably having a rectangular form and attached at its ends by any suitable means, as by the collars 9, to the tube 6. The frame 8 carries suitable means, such as clips 10, for holding a sheet of music thereto. The spring 7 is mounted in such a way as to exert its force with a tendency to turn the frame from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, toward the left, so that it will lie against the left-hand part of the rack. This movement is prevented by an escape detent 11, which is shown as being a lever or rod pivoted loosely at 12 to a lug 13 rising from the bottom 1% of the rack. The upper end of the escape detent is offset at 15 and has a projection or tooth 16 which normally lies in front of the lower member of the turning frame 8 when the latter is in the operating position, shown in Fig. 1. This tooth or projection 16 is short so that a movement of the lever 11 toward one side or the other will disengage the tooth from the frame, allowing the latter to be swung to the left by the spring.

When the rack is set up for use, it is somewhat slanted, as shown in Fig. 2, which causes the pendent end of the detent to project forwardly, and thus the weight of the latter causes the projection 16 to be held up where it will engage and arrest the turning frame. hen the latter is returned from the inoperative or left-hand position to the right-hand position, shown in Fig. 1, it presses rearwardly upon the projection 16, which, owing to the looseness of the pivotal attachment of the detent with the rack, is caused to yield and to permit the frame to pass by it. In thus yielding, the hanging arm of the detent lever is moved forwardly and upwardly, and the latter is restored by gravity when the frame has passed the detent, thus causing the detent to rise again in front of the frame so as to hold the latter until displaced to one side or the other. This device afiords means by which a musician can cause a leaf or sheet of music to be turned without the use of his hands, for the detent lever hangs in the neighborhood of his knee, and by giving a slight movement of the latter to one side, he can release the spring-actuated frame and cause the sheet of music to be turned over.

In Fig. 3, is shown a form of the apparatus by which two or more sheets may be turned in succession, and which is adapted for detachable connection with any ordinary music rack. Here the central rod 5 which supports the spring or springs for the leafturning frames is secured to a base plate or block 17 having two lips 18 19 separated by a space 20 and adapted to be placed over the bottom plate 14% of the rack. A setscrew 21 is threaded into one of the plates and clamps the block 17 upon the rack. In the arrangement here shown there are two tubes 6 and 6 which contain and are operated by the springs 7 and '7 These tubes form supports for the frames 8* and 8 which may be made of wire as described, but are preferably made of links pivoted together so that the frames may be folded up into compact compass against the pivotal portions thereof. The outer members of the frames are preferably detachably pinned together as at 22 and 23, so that they may be separated to facilitate folding.

The escape detent is a lever 11 pivoted to the block 17 and having an offset portion 15 which carries two escape teeth or projections 24 and 25 of unequal lengths, so as to engage the bottom members of the frames 8 and 8 respectively. The outer projection 24 is of less length than the inner or rear projection 25, so that any lateral movement of the lever 11 sufficient to disengage the outer detent will not necessarily be great enough to disengage the inner one, so that it is possible by a limited movement to release the first or outer frame without releasing the second or rear frame. By roducing successive movements of the lever 11 of increasing amounts, the automatic turning frames may be released in succession, and two or more leaves automatically turned one after the other.

I have here shown only two frames, but it is obvious that three or any greater number may be applied to the same device, it being only necessary to shorten the tube members 7 a and 7 of the frames to allow the necessary number to be mounted upon the rod 5. With an increase in the number of turning frames the detent escape teeth will be correspondingly increased, but the relation as to their relative heights remains the same. With this form of the device I find it convenient to provide a stop 26 upon the base block 17 at the left-hand side of the standard 5 to arrest the turning movement of the frames. It may be noted that one end of each of the springs 7 and 7 is connected to the central rod 5 and the other end to the appropriate swinging frame.

In adapting my invention to use with a piano, I provide a base 27 from which rises a standard or rod 5 and upon which are swiveled the sleeves 7 7 as in the form of device last described, carrying the frames 8 8*. Each frame carries clips 10 for holding the sheets of music. The main difference between this device and that last described is in the escape mechanism. This mechanism consists of a lever 28 pivoted centrally at 29 upon the base 27 and having at its end depressed portions 28 28 adapted to be struck by either hand respectively of the performer. These ends or handle portions of the levers project below the music rack of the piano into proximity with the keys so that only a slight movement of either hand of the performer above the keyboard is necessary to insure the release of the escape device and turning of the sheet. This device can be operated with no appreciable loss of time and obviously accomplishes an immense economy of time over the method of turning the sheets by hand. In operating the device to effect the desired object, the right-hand end 28 of the lever is depressed, or the left-hand end 28' is raised.

The escape element proper consists of a rod or bar 30 carried by the lever 28 and having two or more projections 31 32- of successively increasing height, arranged in front of the frames 8 and 8 respectively, which frames are released one at a time by successive slight movements of the lever. This latter is prevented from moving too far at any one time by suitable means, such for instance as a pin 38 adapted to enter shallow depressions 3d. The pin may be carried by the lever and the depressions formed in a plate 35 attached to the base 27, or vice versa. One of the depressions is located so as to hold the lever as shown in Fig. 5, where both or all of the frames are restrained, a second depression holds the lever in position to release the outermost frame only, a third retains it in position to release the second frame, and so on, for devices having more than two frames. The final stop 36 limits the movement of the release lever after all the frames have been released. The same or equivalent means may be employed in connection with the escape device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as is used in the piano attachment. Thus a pin 37 may be carried by the lever 11 and arranged so as to enter recesses 38 in a part 39 depending from the base block 17.

I find it convenient to attach the swinging frames adjustably to the tubes which form the pivotal port-ions of the frames. For the purpose of providing this adjustable connection, I have spring clamps 40 to which the ends of the lateral members of the frames are fastened, and which have yielding jaws 41 shaped so as to embrace the tubes 6 6 and 6 respectively. These jaws bear against the tubes firmly enough to hold the frames thereon, but can he slid up or down upon them.

I claim 1. A turning device for sheets, comprising a base, a standard, a plurality of sheet hold ers revolubly mounted on said standard, springs tending to swing said holders about the standard, a. detent normally arresting each said holder, an operating member by which said detents are carried and from which they project in such manner that successive movements of said member in the same direction may disengage said detents successively, and a pin carried by said operating member adapted to enter a series of recesses in a stationary part beside said member to limit the movements of the latter.

2. A turning device for sheets, comprising a base, a standard, a plurality of sheet holders revolubly mounted on said standard, springs tending to swing said holders about the standard, a detent normally arresting each said holder, and an operating member by which said detents are carried and from which they project in such manner that successive movements of said member in the 

